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Oppo cancels online phone launch in India in the wake of border clash

Date: June 19, 2020 Sunil Jha Sunil Jha
Oppo cancels online phone launch in India in the wake of border clash 
Chinese consumer electronics company Oppo was expected to hold an online launch of its flagship smartphone in India. However, the company has reportedly cancelled the session post a severe border clash between both the nations that has led Indian trader associations to shun products manufactured in China.



As per sources familiar with the knowledge of the matter, Indian and Chinese soldiers fought on a disputed mountain frontier in the Himalayas, using nail-studded stones and clubs. The onslaught led to the death of 20 Indian soldiers, in what is presumed to be one of the worst border clashes since 1967. Consequently, this has led to a controversial scenario of sorts for Chinese investors who have been wanting to invest in the Indian market. Not to mention, it has added to the pressure they were already facing, with anti-China sentiments being propagated during the coronavirus outbreak.



For the record, Oppo has a phone-assembly plant in India, and had earlier declared that it would hold a ‘live unveiling’ of its Find X2 smartphone models on Wednesday. However, a YouTube link that was supposed to go live at 4 p.m. (local time) was inaccessible. Instead, the company uploaded a pre-recorded, 20-minute video including a highlight of Oppo’s efforts in order to support Indian authorities for preventing the spread of the coronavirus.



Abhishek Saxena, Co-founder, Phoenix Legal, has been quoted to say that the situation currently seems to be rather grim, and there is very less chance that any new approvals for Chinese goods may happen anytime soon.



Even The Confederation of All India Traders – the group that represents close to 70 million brick-and-mortar retail outlets, stated that its members will plan to boycott imported Chinese goods, no matter what losses they might have to go through.



Chinese companies such as Bytedance, Great Wall, and SAIC have major stakes in the Indian sub-continent. Even Alibaba has funded many Indian startups. It remains to be soon how the situation will unfold in the course of the next few weeks.



Source Credits: https://in.reuters.com/article/us-india-china-business/oppo-cancels-live-online-phone-launch-in-india-amid-calls-to-boycott-chinese-goods-idINKBN23O2IP

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Sunil Jha

Sunil Jha has been a part of the content industry for close to two years. Having previously worked as a voice over artist and sportswriter, he now focuses on writing articles for newsorigins.com, across a slew of topics, ranging from technology to trade and finance. With a business-oriented educational background, Sunil brings forth the expertise of deep-dive research and a strategic approach in his write ups.